1. Luke’s Jedi training with Yoda. “Do or do not there is no try.”
2. Luke shoots the Photon missiles into the core of the Death Star and it explodes
3. Starkiller Base Explosion
4. Darth Vader tells Luke, “I am your father.”
5. Luke fights the Emperor (lightning fingers)
6. Darth Vader dies
7. Ray steals the Milenuum Falcon
8. Han Solo is frozen in carbonite
9. Luke fights and escapes from the Rancor
10. Speeder chase on Endor
11. C-3PO is crowned a god
12. Lando betrays Luke, Han and Leia
13. Obi-Wan is killed
14. Rathtars on the loose
15. Opening scene in Force Awakens when we meet Kylo Ren
16. Bar scene looking for a ride to Alderaan and first meeting of Han Solo
17. Luke’s finds his Aunt and Uncle dead
18. Anakin Pod racing
19. Luke sleeps in the Wampa on the frozen planet
20. Tripping up the AT-AT’s on Hoth
21. Anakin finds out his mother is dead
22. Luke sneaks into Jabba the Hutt’s lair to rescue Han and Leia
23. Luke, Han and Leia escape from Jabba’s barge and the Sarlacc
24. Light Saber training with the blast shield down
25. Luke sees the visions of Obi-Wan, his father and Yoda

If you are not a Star Wars fan, that is totally fine. For me, this was a fun exercise in remembering back over the movies and thinking about the scenes and why they might be memorable or significant.

I have been listening to Don Miller’s Story Brand podcast a lot lately. It is focused on marketing principles and those principles are drawn out of the art of storytelling, something Hollywood movies are often very good at. The amazing thing is there is life application in this process as well. I encourage you to download his free ebook on the full 7-part framework and how to tell a story. But if you just want a quick idea to of how to use this with a teenager, let me give you a couple of suggestions.

First, realize that teenagers are closer to the beginning of their story than the end or the middle. This perspective helps us as adults remember that they are still in the development and learning stages and that if we can coach them through this process they, most of the time, will learn to navigate life well.

Secondly, we all need a guide. It is really amazing how many guides Luke has from Obi-Wan to Yoda to Han Solo at times. For teenagers, they need more than one guide, and they need for those people to be willing to allow them to fail and then walk with them through that failure. This way they learn that life is not always easy and that they can overcome the difficulties if they choose to engage the right skills and resources.

Finally, recognize that there is a bigger picture going on. It’s not only about what is happening right now. There is a destination and having a clear vision for what that is helps you prioritize what’s happening right now in order to be able to arrive where you want to go. If a teenager gets too distracted by the now, they not only lose sight of the future, but all too often they give up the future they could have had for something satisfying in the moment.